96 Tracker speedometer cable routing??

06vmaximus · 11-14-2009, 08:03 PM

Hi,..Newbie to the forum. I have a 96 geo tracker 4x4, 1.6 engine, USA model. I got a new speedometer cable, but I am not sure of the routing path for it. I think the previous owner had it running the wrong way...it went from the trans through the passenger firewall, then through the heater duct to the drivers side... then wound around three or four times before it finally made its way to the dash. Seems like a strange path to me. HELP!!

the flying scotsman · 11-15-2009, 08:32 AM

Mine goes through a firewall grommet forward of the speedo. It's a tight fit to connect. Your existing cable has to be from another car.

06vmaximus · 11-15-2009, 08:39 AM

The hole that is directly behind my speedo has a black plug in it. I bought another cable, and it is the same length as the broken one. You say your cable exits the cab on the drivers side and then crosses to the passenger side and to the trans??

Sævar Örn · 11-15-2009, 10:11 AM

Mine is the original one, and my steering wheel is on the left side to include.

The cable is routed underneath the dash to the passenger side/right side of my car, It goes up above the hatch of the glove compartment and out through the specified hole in the firewall. There it goes underneath the car and is held to the BODY of the car all the way to the transfer case where the speedo is screwed into it on the RIGHT side of the transfer case.

kick-fix · 11-15-2009, 10:18 PM

96MT , me too: same as poster. ( I FEEL YOUR PAIN)
mines rounted wrong early kicks pre 96 is diff. 96+ are massive differences.
thanks saevar orn , very much for posting this,
i have FSM and this is not there, they assume previous owner is not idiot. and is.

thank you so very much for doing this post.
but..
what is the routing from rear of speedo , over to the glove box. ??
left to right.
just above my right foot the cables looks like crazy S bend.
perplexing.

Sævar Örn · 11-16-2009, 12:32 AM

Hey guys, I really should've measured the lenght of the cable when I removed it from the car a few months back, I removed it to put a gear onto the end of it, for it to be correct with my 33 inch tires, and lubricate the whole cable for it to last longer. Well I don´t see any reason to believe it´s not the original cable because all the plastic snap ons looked original, but I cut them open and threw them away.

But Im not an idiot, So what I didn´t do was be a smart arse and route the cable differently, now this matters A LOT, the cable inside the cable, ofcourse spins at a very high speed, and it has ofcourse some resistance against the cover around it, well duhh.

This resistance is extremely increased by bending up the wire, so all the original bendings are very soft, no more than 30-40°

SO, a CIRCLE, or TWO CIRCLES will make a world of difference! The cable will be damaged sooner than with the original routing!

Although, If you have an aftermarket cable, of the different lenght, I can see the reason it´s been packed up like that.

I´ll check a Sidekick 95 for fun and see how different it is.

What I mean by above the glove box is

If you put your hand underneath the dash edge, through the glovebox, you can feel the cable and see where it comes from, and where it goes to.

............ Sævar Örn.

kick-fix · 11-16-2009, 01:46 AM

yes, mine comes out of speedo, must curve down that metal dash channel ,(not found on 95's) then comes out right side of this channel and goes toward the left heater vent , then does a U turn (i dont like this turn) and then goes towards dash and then curves right and over to glove box area you stated.

it has some tight turns and makes needle wobble at 15mph and never other speeds.
thanks for you mentions of how your works,
cheers.

Sævar Örn · 11-16-2009, 04:35 AM

Don´t have any tight curves on my cable right here, and the needle is not flickering at all what so ever at any speed. A flickering needle means your cable is struggling to turn inside the cover, and is working on the surface area until it makes its way through, or snaps apart the cable.

06vmaximus · 11-16-2009, 06:23 AM

Thanks for the posts, guys!! I know the previous owner had it routed wrong..that's why it broke! I checked everywhere for a routing diagram, even ALLDATA (car repair website) did not show where the cable is supposed to run. It gets pretty busy under the dash of these cars, so there is not a whole lot of room to install correctly,...and if you don't get it right it will break prematurely.